It's Been A While
by vamplee94
Summary: After graduation, Rose was assigned to be the guardian of Tasha Ozera, and Dimitri to be the guardian of Vasilisa Dragomir. 5 years later, what will happen when the biggest secret Rose has ever kept gets leaked out.
1. Chapter 1

** Hey, this is (obviously) a story about Vampire Academy. It's set after… the latest book, Spirit Bound. (Dimitri did turn Strigoi.) It's my idea of what happens after. You know the part about the queen getting killed and Rose getting thrown in jail? Yeah, never happened. Okay, uh, it's been a few weeks since Dimitri was turned back and this is what happens when he decides to vow to always be by Lissa. Hope you enjoy. Rate/Comment at your will (although, it is preferred.)**

** Disclaimer: I don't own VA, at all (although it would be cool if I did), Richelle Mead does (and she's pretty rad.) **

** Enjoy!**

** Simply,**

** Sam**

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This is it. Today is the day. The day that we get assigned to our Moroi. Or to less glamorous jobs, such as paper work. Yay. Well, at least I know for certain they'll assign me to Lissa. They can't ignore our bond, and, since she's the last Dragomir, they really have no choice but to make sure she has the best protection. Or at least that's what I'm telling myself so I don't start to hyperventilate, or anything. I look around the room I've been staying in for the last few weeks before walking out. This was it. The day I will get assigned. Move away from court, though I highly doubt it since Liss is going to a school near by for a reason, which involves the court. As I walk around, I wonder how Dimitri is doing. I mean, I know he told me that he didn't love me anymore and to just leave him alone, and while I completely respect his wishes, it doesn't mean anything if I'm curious. I mean, I'm just curious. Nothing more. As I turn the corner, I see Eddie talking to Mia and some other new guardians that have come to court to hear their assignments. I walk up to them, and they all greet me. We're standing there for about 20 minutes, just talking, when I see Liss walking our way, speaking with Dimitri. Before I can go up to Lissa and say hi, Jane, another one of the new guardians that graduated with me, runs up to us, completely out of breath.

"Guess what I just found out!" She finally says. We all stare at her, all of us exclaiming "What?" and saying random ideas that pop into our heads. "Okay!" She finally gives in with a smile. "Guardian Belikov has offered to be Princess Vasilisa Dragomirs' guardian, and she accepted!" As everyone stares at her in disbelief, asking more questions, I walk away from the group, until I'm about ten feet in front of Lissa. She looks up at me, _Rose! I was going to tell you. I'm sorry, really, but he's a great guardian, and if I had said no to him, everyone would've thought that I didn't trust him, and then he'd be back where he was when he first got here._

I stare at her for a few more minutes, then I simply turn on my heel, and walk away. Soon though, the walking turns into jogging, then, into full out running. I don't stop until I burst into Queen Tatiana's private room, that she took me to all those months ago. "Rose!" She exclaims as she jumps out of her seat. "What are you doing here?"

"I have a request to make, Queen." I say as I bow down. As I look back up, I see the look of shock on her face.

"And what is this request?" She finally asks, after composing her face into a neutral expression.

I stand, and look her in the eyes as I say, confidently, "I would like to be assigned to Tasha Ozera."

A look of complete shock takes over Tatiana's face, "What?"

"Queen, I did not stutter, slur, mumble, or anything else. My words were said clearly. Although, I should specify, that I would like to be assigned as Guardian of Tasha Ozera, if she wants me as her guardian."

"Are you saying this in all seriousness, Guardian Hathaway?"

"Queen Tatiana, I have never been more serious in all my life."

"What about Vasilisa? You two have a bond that no other two have, and it would be a shame for it to go to waste. With that bond of yours, you have saved Vasilisa multiple times, and for each I'm sure she is as grateful to you as I am. Tell me, Rose, why is it that you do not want to guard Vasilisa? Have you two fallen out? Because if you have, you must learn that personal issues do not matter when it comes to protecting a Moroi. Now Rosemarie, if you are saying you do not want to be Vasilisas' guardian because you two had an argument, you will be punished, and your request completely denied."

"Queen Tatiana, you completely misunderstand my reason. Lissa and I are not arguing, I am not doing this because I don't want to guard her, and I never said I didn't want to guard her."  
"Then? Why?"

I take a deep breath. "I have a strange feeling, Your Highness, that if I don't request to be Tasha's guardian, then no other guardian will be assigned to her. I want her to be protected, for she is a Moroi. And besides, Lissa will not go unprotected. She has Guardian Belikov, and I can request another guardian for her, one I know will be as serious in protecting her as I am."

Tatiana nods a couple of times before finally saying, "Fine. Tonight, in the ceremony, you will be assigned to Tasha Ozera."

"Thank you, Your Highness." I say with a bow. As I reach the door, Tatiana says, "And you are sure about this, Guardian Hathaway."

Without turning I say, "I've never been more sure in my life, Your Highness." With that, I walk out the door.

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**And first chapter done! Well, tell me what you think (if you want to). And more chapters will be up! (In case you actually care) And thanks!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Alright, so with all those nice comments I've gotten already (which is crazy! I just posted the chapter this morning!) I have decided to post the second chapter. And yes, that does mean that this said chapter was already written. I just added this little comment here. So, thanks for all the nice comments. Oh, and yes. Guarding Tasha would mean… Well, the reason for that is in the chapter. **

**Hope you enjoy!**

**Simply,**

** Sam**

As I walk back to the courtyard, I notice the group is still there. Only this time, Lissa and Dimitri are with them. Before I can sneak away, Mia spots me and calls me over. "Hey here Hathaway. Where'd you run off to?" She asks as I approach them.

Without looking over at Lissa, I calmly say, "I had business to attend to."

"What kind of business?" Lissa asks.

I look at her, "Urgent, _private_ business."

"Oh, about what?"

"It doesn't concern you, Liss. Don't worry about it."

"Really? You've never kept anything from me before, no matter how private!" She says, finally letting her temper take over.

"Oh, is that what you think? Because I can think of plenty of things I never told you about, including Di-" I stop myself, turning my eyes to the man standing right next to Lissa, then look back at her. "Plenty of things I've never told you. Now, excuse me, please, I have to go."

Before she can yell at me some more, or stop me, I turn and walk away as fast as I can, without actually running. After turning a few corners, a voice behind me calls out, "Slow down, Little Dhampir! My lungs aren't any where near as good as yours!" I stop and turn, staring straight at Adrian. "Hey, what's up? What do you need?" This comes out rather rude, and Adrian stares at me before saying, "Private business? With my aunt? Is she bothering you again?"

I stare at him before deciding he already knows why I spoke with Tatiana. I just had to figure out how. So I just asked. As politely as I could. "And how the _hell_ do you know!"

He widened his eyes, feigning innocence. "How do I know what?"

"You know what I'm talking about, Adrian, so stop playing games."

"Well, I didn't think you hated me that much."

"What?"

"Well, I was there, in the room, speaking with my aunt, when you barged in, spewing some nonsense about not wanting to be Lissa's guardian. I was just wondering if there was a mistake. I mean, I know you said you were sure-"

"I am absolutely positive. And you can't say or do anything that will make me change my mind."

"Oh, I wasn't about to try to change your mind. Well, now that I've clarified that you're sure, can you tell me why?"

"Oh, you already know, Adrian. You always seem to know these things."

"Well, true, I do, but I'd like to hear your reasoning is. So if you don't mind…"

I give a sigh. "Fine. Dimitri is going to be Lissa's guardian, and I can't be around him, not after everything. I figured Tasha still wants me, so I'll be her guardian."

"Well, sounds like a good plan to me."

I roll my eyes and continue walking, knowing he's following. "That's just because you don't like him."  
"Oh, no, I like Belikov, I just don't like the idea of you two together."

"Funny," I mutter, "He seems feel the same way."

"What?"

"Nothing. Look, I've gotta go. See you later, huh? Bye, Adrian."

"Rose…"

"What?" I say, turning back to look at him. He's looking at the ground.

"We're… We're not working, are we? I mean, even if you weren't to go out there, with Tasha, you'd still eventually have found an excuse to break up, wouldn't you?"

I stare at him before softly saying, "Truthfully?" He simply nods, looking me directly in the eye. "Yes, I would have found a reason or an excuse or just made something up." He flinches slightly before giving a curt nod, and turning around. "I'm sorry, Adrian. I do like you, really, but…"

"But I'm just not him. Yeah, I know. See ya." He waves before walking away. I sigh and walk into my room. As upset as I was, I was still hoping Tatiana would make good on her promise.

As I lay my head on the pillow, I think about how Lissa will feel, but quickly push the thought away. Tomorrow would be a long day. Then, I finally fall asleep.

**Okay, I don't know if I should post up the chapter about the Assignment Ceremony, or if I should just skip that and go into the future, the Five Years Later I promised in the summary. Why don't y'all tell me, huh? Your honest opinion will be appreciated.**

**Thanks!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Alright, so, out of the reviews/comments that I got for their opinions on posting this chapter, only one person said I should just skip it. So, I decided I was going to post it. So, I tried to make it as dramatic as I could (I probably could've made it more dramatic, but I kind of wanted to get it out of the way so I could get to the other stuff.) So, Rose is cursing like she's a sailor's freakin' grandma, or something, so I hope you enjoy it. I tried to make it as Rose-ish as I could. Comments/Review would be appreciated, but not absolutely required. Do at your will.**

**Enjoy!**

**Simply,**

** Sam.**

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I looked around at the crowd of Moroi and Dhampir alike. It was so cool, having all these people here, and not knowing who you'd be assigned to! That was where all the tension and excitement was coming from, I could tell. Even though I already knew who I'd be assigned to, it was still exciting to me.

"Rose!" I turned at the sound of my name and saw Lissa was running over to me. "Rose! Aren't you excited? This is so fun!"

I smile at her. "Yeah, listen Liss… Never mind. I'll tell you later. I think the Queen was looking for you earlier. Over there." I point in a random direction and smile at Liss as she walks off, Dimitri following her every move. I sigh. I couldn't tell her. I was about to, but… I just couldn't. Not now. And I just lied to her about the Queen looking for her because of Dimitri. I mean, I just can't look at him anymore. Not after what happened. And then what he said right after. That was the worst part. The absolute worst part.

"Rose." I look up to see Tasha walking towards me.

"Hey, Tasha. Did you hear about me…"

Tasha just smiled. "Yes, I'm absolutely ecstatic! I can't wait!"

Before I can answer, Queen Tatiana stands at the podium and begins telling us to take our places. I smile and Tasha and walk over to my spot, behind Eddie.

As Tatiana starts announcing the other guardians and their charges, I whisper to Eddie, "If anything happens to her while she's on your watch, I will personally hunt you down and kick your ass so hard, you'll never be able to sit again, do you understand me?"

"Rose, if anything happens to her while she's on my watch, I'll kick my own ass. Then I'll very willingly let you kick my ass. Promise."

"I'm holding you to that." I say as I stand back.

As Tatiana calls Eddie up, I look over to Lissa. "He will be the guardian of… Princess Vasilisa Dragomir, along with Guardian Belikov."

As the look of complete shock covers Lissa's face, and as Eddie bows the Tatiana and walks over to Lissa, I can hear the murmurs of conversation starting up. Everyone's shocked. Nobody actually expected for the queen not to put me with Lissa. Apparently, they didn't know I personally requested it.

"Guardian Rosemarie Hathaway." I walk up to the podium as Tatiana says my name. "She will be the guardian of… Tasha Ozera." I bow, and hear even more murmured conversations starting up. Apparently no one thought the queen would give Tasha Ozera her own personal guardian. I walk over to Tasha and stand beside her. "Good luck." She whispers to me. I know I'll need it as soon as the ceremonies over, and Liss gets her hands on me.

"Rosemarie Hathaway!" I flinch and try to look for an exit as I see the look of pure fury on Lissa's face. Somehow, everyone had found out I'd requested to be Tasha's guardian. "Don't you dare try to run away from me!" Crap. She knew me way too well. "Why? Why, why, why would you request to be someone else's guardian and stick me with Eddie!" It'd also been found out that I requested Eddie to be her guardian. And he was standing right beside her, with a straight face, but I could see the humor in his eyes.

"Eddie's standing right beside you, Liss." I say as calmly as I can.

She looks confused for a moment, then turns to Eddie, "I don't mean it the way it sounds. And answer me!" She says, turning back to me.

"Liss, this is hardly the place or the time. So please, let's go talk, calmly, somewhere else."

"No! I want to talk now. How dare you! How dare you! You're _my_ guardian! _Mine!_ Not _Tasha Ozeras'!_" She says Tasha's name with disgust. "You don't even like her! Why?"

I say, not quite as calmly as before, "Hey, cool down on the slave references, huh? I'm not yours. And I do like Tasha."

"No you don't! You don't like her because of her family! I know you don't! You're a snob when it comes to the Ozera's! And you do belong to me! We're bound, or don't you remember? Don't tell me you're some kind of idiot now! All that drinking and falling flat on your face finally caught up to your brain cells?"

I tell myself to keep my cool when I sense the darkness in her mind taking over. "Hey, watch it. I was never a snob when it comes to the Ozera's. I'm a snob when it comes to Christian, because he annoys me to no end. And of course I remember we're bound. I'm not an idiot. And you never very well the drinking stopped, and I don't fall flat on my face. Cool it, would you? People are watching."

"I don't care if people are watching! I don't care what all those people think. If I did, I'd never have been your friend in the first place, because, after all, you're the slut that gets all the bad publicity from Moroi boys! And especially with what happened when you dropped out of school and went to Russia for some idiotic reason! So since I'm still you're friend, I obviously don't care. And I don't care if you want to be Tasha's guardian or not. You. Are. Mine. No one else's. Now go tell Queen Tatiana and Eddie can go to Tasha, since you think he's such a _damn good guardian." _She said the last part sarcastically and muttered under her breath, "Mason wouldn't have died if he was…"

And that's when I snapped. "What the hell. What the _fuck_ is your _fucking_ problem? Huh? You think there's anyone out there better than Eddie? Hell, _because _of what happened with Mason, that's why he's so fucking good. That's why I can trust that you're in good hands with him. So don't you fucking dare start saying that shit about Eddie. Besides, he saved your ass, in case you forgot. And what the fuck is wrong with you, huh? You're acting like a fucking little bratty bitch. What's gotten into you? Besides, you shouldn't be calling me a fucking slut. I never slept wit those guys, I just made out with them. At least I didn't have sex with a guy I didn't even actually like, and then dumped him for the sarcastic wise ass that was smart enough to dump your ass before your craziness infected him. And no, you stupid whore. You don't own me, never have and never will. I am not your dog to go off on some errand for you. Don't you dare tell me what to do. I'm not even your guardian." As I'm winding down, I can sense her trying to use compulsion on me, and that sets me off again. "Fuck you, bitch! Don't think you can get me to do what you want by trying compulsion!" I lean closer, so that what I'm about to say is a whisper, for her ears, but I know Eddie and Dimitri hear it also, "And if you _ever_ say shit like that about Eddie again, I will break your fucking arm off. He's putting his own life on the line to protect you, and if you keep acting like a little bitch towards him, he'll let you die, and I wouldn't blame him." I lean back, and stare at her, then, before I walk out, I say, "Where's all that kindness you were showing Belikov? 'Cause I'm sure your new guardian here would like to see the kind, beautiful Vasilisa Dragomir that everyone is so captivated by."

Then I leave.

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**Okay, so I'm pretty sure this is my longest chapter yet. Well, I hoped you enjoyed it. Comment/Review at your will. Thanks.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey, I just want to say thanks to everyone for the comments! And I'm glad y'all enjoyed the third chapter, I had a lot of fun writing it. I just threw in as much curse words as I thought would be appropriate for Rose. I hope y'all thought it was enough. Now here it is. 5 years later!**

**Enjoy!**

**Simply,**

** Sam.**

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"Rose! Rose! Where are you?"

"Here!" I wave my arm around. "I'm waving my hand!"

"I can't see your hand."

"Neither can I." I say with a small laugh. "Oh! I found it!"

"Your hand?"

"No!" I laugh. "The box. I found the box."

"Really?"

"Yeah, here it is…" I walk around the other stacks of boxes and put the box on the floor, in front of Tasha. "There ya go. So, what's in it anyway?"

"Aha!" She exclaims as she rips the box open. "IloveyouIloveyouIloveyou! So, so, so, so much! Ahhhh!" She pulls out a beautiful dress out with a flourish. "This is what's in it." It was a red, poufy one-shouldered dress, with a sheer black cover over it. It was so gorgeous.

"Oh my god! Where did you get it?" I say, fingering the material. It was so silky smooth.

"I got it when we were in Vancouver."

"But, I don't remember you getting it."

"Yeah, it was the day Christian had visited us, and you had slept in. We had gone to the mall, and I saw this and I just had to get it. You should've seen me! I was a force to be reckoned with! They didn't have the size I wanted in the front and I made every single worker search the entire back until they found the right size."

I laugh. "God, I wish I was there."

"Yeah, well. Anyway, ever since then, I've been looking for all the right accessories, and look! Here they are!" She starts pulling things out of the box and handing them to me. She first hands me a gorgeous clutch. It's red, with black lace all over it, and matches the dress to a T. Then she pulls out these black, elbow lengths, velvet gloves. And they are so soft! Then she throws a box in my lap, and, as it lands, the top falls off. I pull out a black shoe. There are black lace flowers all over it, and it is one heck of a heel. A person would have to be pretty balanced to be able to walk in those. Beautiful nonetheless.

Just as she was pulling out another tiny box, the houses phone rang. "Oh! Be right back! Keep looking!" She then stands and runs downstairs. I open the tiny box and feel my eyes widen. It's a beautiful bracelet. Silver, with little designs, and there are big red jewels on it. I put the top back and pull out another box. In it there are a bunch of tiny black hairpins, with shiny red jewels at the end. I pull out the last box and gasp as I see what's inside. There, lying on top of black velvet is a black choker, with a red jewel in the middle, surrounded by silver. Hanging from it is a little red bead.

All right, Tasha has been going to a lot of Moroi parties lately, and she dresses up, of course. And she always looks amazing and absolutely gorgeous. And even though she always gets to dress in beautiful clothing, I'm never jealous of her, but this time, I must admit, I completely envy her. I would love to wear this dress and these shoes and gloves and…

"Hey! So, what do you think?" Asks Tasha as she sits back down in front of me. "Gorgeous, isn't it?"

I look up from the necklace. "Completely. It's all beautiful, and I love it all. What event is it for?"

"Oh, this weekend, actually, at court. I can't remember the exact reason for it, but it's a masquerade theme."

"Wow. That's amazing. I'm sure you'll look great in this."

Tasha laughs. "Don't lie, Rose. I know it wouldn't suit me."

"What?" I ask, baffled. "Then why would you buy it?"

"It's for you. You're going to wear it for the Masquerade Party."

"Me? Tasha, no. I mean, I'm your guardian; of course I'll be there, but as your guardian. Standing against the wall in my uniform, watching you at all times, and protecting everyone else as well, if needed."

"No. The invitation says I get to take on guest, and I can't think of anyone better than you. Besides, Rose, you know you so badly want to wear this."

I search her face, to see if she's serious. And she is, completely serious. She completely means it. I can tell she really wants me to say okay, and I really shouldn't disappoint my Moroi. I'm supposed to make sure she's happy. "Well… I mean, I guess. Yeah. Okay, yeah. I'll be you're guest!" I bounce up and down and throw my arms around Tasha. "Thank you thank you thank you!" I squeal ecstatically. All Tasha does is laugh. "No problem, Rose. Besides, wouldn't it be easier to protect me if you're part of the crowd?"

I nod, "Yep. Good reasoning."

"Well, you know, the ensemble may seem complete, but it's not."

"What do you mean? What's missing?"

"It is a masquerade. You need a mask."

I gasp excitedly. "That's right! When can we look for one?"

"How about… Right now? The car is waiting outside…"

"Let's go!" I jump up, and five minutes later, we're in the car, on our way to the mall to search for the perfect mask for my perfect outfit.

"Well, what do you think?" Tasha says, walking out of the dressing room in a beautiful light pink dress. The corset had beading on it, and the skirt was fluffy, and perfect.

"You look so gorgeous!"

"Wait, wait! Let me put on the mask!" She grabs the mask out of it's box, and slips it on. It has feathers on the top, as well as intricate swirls all over it. It's a light pink, and her icy blue eyes just pop out. "Now, how is it?"

"Great! You look great, Tasha."

"Thank you." She says with a small curtsy. "Now, you go get ready." She plops down on the sofa as I get up to go get dressed. We found the perfect mask, and a great fan! My hair and makeup is already done, and we're heading to the party once I get dressed. We've been at Court for 3 days now, and I haven't seen Lissa once, which is a good thing. I haven't seen her in almost 5 years, and it would be so awkward to see her. I give a sigh. I really do miss Lissa, but we didn't leave off on the best of terms the last time we saw each other. As I slip on the bracelet over my gloves, I remember Lissa's face the last time I saw her. That look of pure hatred… It was terrible. Afterwards, she'd sent me thoughts and feelings full of remorse, but I just ignored her. I haven't looked at our bond ever since, and I've gotten used to not having another's feelings in me. At first, I felt empty and lost, but now, that part of me is numb, almost as numb as the part of me that still holds Dimitri. Dimitri… No. I wasn't going to go there. I promised myself many, many years ago. As I push that thought away, I look at myself in the mirror, and smile. I look great. The dress, necklace, gloves, and bracelet are magnificent. I lift up my dress a little bit. Even my shoes look magnificent.

"Rose! You look gorgeous!" Tasha gasps as I walk out. I smile. "Yeah? You like?"

"Like?" She says, in mock disgust. "I love!"

We laugh. "Well, let's go." She says.

"Okay." We both grab our fans, and I grab my mask. Sadly, in exchange for having the fan, I had to put the clutch away. It's fine though. I'd use it later.

As we arrive at the hall where the party is being held, I try to slow down my breathing. We walk out of the car, and towards the doors.

"Ready?" Tasha says before opening the door.

I take a deep breath and nod. "Let's do this."

Then Tasha throws open the doors.

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**Well, I hope y'all liked! And if you want to see the dresses and masks and fans and so on, just tell me and I'll post the pictures up on my profile so you can see them. And I think is has been my longest chapter, by far. Haha. **

**Thanks!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Well, here's the 5****th**** chapter. Oh, and yes, Lissa is involved in this chapter. I just wanted to have some fun with the other chapter, so I decided for it to be all about her clothes and Tasha. I liked it, and so far, it is my favorite chapter. And I like how they're good friends now too. And about Rose and Dimitri being together, well, you'll just have to read and find out! Anyways, here we go! And wow! Apparently this is the longest chapter yet!**

**Enjoy!**

**Simply,**

** Sam.**

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Then Tasha throws open the doors.

I stare in astonishment at all the people here. There are so many, and with so many beautiful dresses, all unique and none the same. They were probably all special ordered or something. I was so glad I thought to put my mask on in the car, because everyone turned to look at us.

"Keep your head up high." Tasha said from beside me. She walked forward, head held high, as if she was ashamed of nothing. I did the same.

As we walked around, I spotted the guardians everywhere. Most were against the wall, in the guardian uniform, but looking at height and build, I saw a lot of guardians were in the crowd, having been invited by their Moroi, like I was.

As Tasha spoke to people, I simply stood there quietly. No one could tell who was who, but I didn't want to risk people figuring out I was Rose Hathaway. Some people still hated on me for being so mean to Lissa all those years ago at the Assignment Ceremony, and they blamed me for her misbehavior there.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, may I please have your attention." We all looked towards the podium at the front of the large room. Tasha and I were near it, so we heard the person first. The woman had to repeat herself twice before she had everyone's full attention. "Thank you all for coming to this celebration tonight."

"Rose." Tasha whispered. I inclined my head towards her, so she would know that I was listening to her. "I forgot to tell you who the party is for. Please, don't be angry, I'm sorry. I was just reminded when I was speaking to that woman in the purple dress. Anyway, Rose the party is for-"

My head shoots up, as I had just spotted Eddie. Eddie! What's Eddie doing here? If Eddie is here…. And not just here, but at the back of the podium, in a tux, looking well groomed… That means… That means…

"Please welcome the woman of the hour, back from England, Princess Vasilisa Dragomir!" Clapping erupts all around me, as I stand there mesmerized by Lissa. She looks gorgeous. She's wearing a light blue dress, strapless, with so much tulle, and diamonds on the top and across the waist. Her mask was silver, with what looked to be a half crown on the left side, and flower and swirl carvings all over. Her bright green eyes popped from behind the mask, and she had the biggest smile I'd ever seen. She was absolutely glowing.

"Hello." She said from behind the podium as the applause died down. "Hello, everyone. It's so good to be back. I didn't realize how much I've missed the court until I arrived her yesterday."

"Rose, by the way, she knew. And you're it." Tasha whispered to me.

"What?"

"You'll figure it out."

"As you all must know by now," Lissa continued, looking at the crowd. I could tell her eyes were trying to send a message, but I couldn't tell what it was, or to who it was for. "Christian Ozera and I got into an argument three months ago, that was so big, we didn't talk for 2 months. Then, a month ago, he came to England, and proposed to me." The applause and cheering started again. This was news to me; I'd never heard it. Huh. So Lissa and Christian engaged. I knew it was only a matter of time. They'd gotten back together a month after the Assignment Ceremony, when Tasha and I were in South Carolina.

"And of course, I'm so happy about it, but that's not the main reason why I'm excited about tonight. See, I happen to know for a fact, that a person I haven't seen in quite a while is attending this party. Now, we are going to play a game. If, by the end of tonight, this person has been found, Christian and I will have our wedding, here in court, just like the queen wants. But, if by the end of tonight, this person hasn't been found by anyone, including myself and the guardians, then Christian and I will have our wedding wherever we want." Suddenly, I understood the look in her eyes. She didn't know where I was either, and that's why she ordered for it to be a masquerade. She was sending me a message. Not to get caught, at all costs. She didn't want her wedding here at Court, I knew for a fact that she's always wanted to have her wedding at a garden.

"No one may remove their masks. Are there anymore questions?"

A man raises his hand, and says "May we know whether this friend is a man or a woman? Or even a Dhampir or a Moroi?"

Lissa looks at him sympathetically. "No, you may not. And you may not know the name either. Any other questions?" She pauses for a minute. "Good. Now let's get started. The game begins… Now." With that, she walks off the podium and everyone starts chatting.

"Well, I'm guessing I don't count. But, in case I do, I'm going to walk away now. Have fun!" Tasha waves at me as she goes to talk to a woman in a gorgeous white dress, which looked like a Vera Wang.

I sigh, looking around the crowded room. I could tell who all the Moroi were and who were all the Dhampir. It seemed like the Moroi didn't think the princess would be a friend with a Dhampir, since they were only speaking amongst themselves. I walk through the crowd, searching for someone that looks familiar, when I suddenly feel hot breath at my neck.

A voice says softly, "Hey there, little Dhampir. How are you doing tonight?"

I smile slightly and turn around to look into the eyes of none other than Adrian Ivoshkov. "Well, look at you, all spruced up." He was wearing a suit, and had an intricate woven silver mask on.

He smiles, "Remind you of another night, years ago, when Aunt Tatiana threw you out?"

I shake my head at the memory, "Oh, boy, do I." Then it hits me. "Wait! No! Don't ruin this! Lissa can_not_ get married here at _Court_, of all places. She has to get married in the garden!" I exclaim quietly, so no one else can here.

Adrian widens his eyes in innocence. "Oh. I'm sorry. Please forgive me, you're not who I was looking for. I don't know how I could've gotten you confused with the princes. Now, please excuse me." He says as another Moroi passes by. He bows, and before he walks away, he winks at me. I laugh to myself. Adrian is still the same old Adrian, even though I broke up with him 5 years ago. And then even after… No. I'm not going to think about _that_. It's too risky. Because if I think of that, I might think of _him_, and then they'd have a Dhampir crying on the ground. I cannot humiliate myself that way.

As I turn back around, I see Lissa heading my way. Beside her was Christian, and walking behind them was Eddie, and behind him was…. Oh… Oh, my… He looks…

"Hello!" My thoughts are interrupted by Lissa. She gives me a hug, and I hug her back. "Thank you for joining us. I am Vasilisa Dragomir, and this is my fiancé, Christian Ozera." As Christian and I shake hands, I can see his signature smirk behind the mask. "And this is my guardian, Eddie." I can see the delight and laughter in Eddie's eyes, even though he's in business mode, and has that mask on. "And this, is my other guardian, Dimitri Belikov." As Lissa says Dimitri's name, she looks over at me, to make sure I'm okay, I assume.

Of course, me being me, I'm not going to show the affect he has on me, so I smile graciously and hold out my hand as I say, "So nice to meet you, Guardian Belikov." Dimitri looks slightly taken aback at first, but he quickly recovers and shakes my hand. "And nice to meet you, Ms…"

Instead of answering, I simply give another smile and turn to Lissa. "Are you enjoying your night, Princess?" I turn to her so I can speak with her, but mainly because if I look at Dimitri a second longer, I just might jump his bones. I mean, he looks so great. He has a black tux, with a black shirt, so he's basically all black except for his red tie. And his mask looks almost like mine, only not as girly. As in, no swirls, and no feathers. Just black with some red design on it.

Lissa smiles, clearly enjoying this. "My night is wonderful so far. Ask me again at the end, though, would you?"

I smile and give my confirmation that I will before Lissa is whisked away by some other guests. Once again, I sigh. I don't have anyone to talk to, because I have to be careful with what I say and how I act around all the other people.

As I walk around, I notice a door on the side. As I think, I walk closer and closer to the door, until I'm right in front of it. No one will notice if I'm gone for just a second, will they? Naw… They won't. They don't even know they're supposed to be talking to me.

I look around to make sure no one is watching then I open the door and slip inside. It's a tiny little room. There's a sofa in the corner and I go to sit on it. There's very little light, and since I'm tired anyway, I lay down, and close my eyes. As my eyes close, a memory floods my mind and instead of pushing it away, like usual, I let it come over me.

And as I lay there I remember…

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**And what does she remember? Ha! You'll just have to wait for the next chapter! I hope you enjoyed, and I know, Dimitri just stand there, all idiotic like. And I respect her for dissing him that way. But I'm being biased here, since I wrote it. Anyways, comments are appreciated. Seriously, they encourage me to write. Every time I see there are more comments, I read them and a huge smile comes over my face and I start on the next chapter right away. I'm not even kidding here. Now, that was too much info. **

**Thanks!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey! So, was the end of chapter 5 killing you? Eh? Eh? Yeah, don't worry. It wasn't killing me either. Probably because I am the author and knew what would happen next about… 2 minutes after the end. And, yes, maybe I did just make something up randomly. Sooooo what? It's just because I'm popular! **

**Okay, I apologize for that. It's a video… you must watch it. It's hilarious. I love it! Now, back to the story. Here it is, and: No! I will not post a picture of what she's wearing on my profile so you can see it! (I'm just assuming that someone might ask me to post it. You'll figure it out once you read.) **

**Okay, um, let me explain something really quickly: Lissa, Eddie, Christian, and Dimitri knew who she was once they saw her, because, come one, it's Rose. All right, the reason Dimitri was shocked and confused was because she actually spoke to him. He didn't think she would. Now, the reason he say "Ms…" Asking for her name, is because he wants to say her name (because she said his) but can't because once he says her name, the game is over and Lissa and Christian will have to have their wedding at court. There ya go. Now here's the story.**

**Enjoy!**

**Simply,**

** Sam.**

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And as I lay there I remember…

**5 years earlier**

I'm walking toward Adrian's room, my long coat wrapped around me. Under my coat, I'm wearing pretty much my underwear and bra. Actually, I don't think what I'm wearing can be classified as undergarments. I've never even seen lingerie anywhere near as skimpy as this, I mean, really. But, it's for Adrian. I'm going to seduce him. Okay, actually, I don't even think I had to put this on, I just had to have shown up in my gym clothes, covered in my sweat, and he would've been all over me. But this is for precaution, in case he questions why.

It's been a couple weeks since Adrian and I broke up, and I know it's weird that I'm going to seduce my ex, but there's a very logical reason behind it. Okay, maybe not actually logical, but it's better than what I was originally planning. Which was stabbing myself with a stake.

Calm down! Not to kill myself, I'm not suicidal, but to get rid of…

Well, basically, I just found out I'm two weeks pregnant. With Dimitri's baby. Okay, I know that sounds crazy, but apparently, since I'm freakin' shadow kissed, I can get pregnant with a Dhampir freakin' baby! Oh, and I'm sure the part about me being two weeks pregnant is weird too. See, after the scene with Lissa at the ceremony, Dimitri came to speak with me. To apologize to me on her behalf. He said she was really sorry, but I knew he was lying. I sensed her through the bond, and she has still been as pissed as hell.

Well, anyway, he and I had gotten into an argument (about what, I forget) and then, suddenly, things got pretty heated up. When I woke up in the morning, he was lying beside me, and I thought it was crazy how he still made my heart beat. After he had woken up, we decided it would be best never to mention it again, that it was a heat of the moment thing, and didn't mean a thing. (I had said the last part and had the satisfaction of seeing the pain I felt when he told me his love had faded pass through his eyes before composing himself and agreeing.) So, last night, I took a pregnancy test, just to be on the safe side (because that night_ we_ weren't on the safe side) and it said positive.

I'd very briefly toyed with the idea of stabbing the not-yet-there creature, but when I really thought about it, I couldn't bring myself to do it. I couldn't bring myself to kill Dimitri's child. So I decided that I would sleep with Adrian, and if asked who the father is, I'd say "Adrian Ivoshkov." Because, once he finds out I'm pregnant, he'd totally take the credit of it being his. He's just that cocky and sure of himself.

I take a deep breath before knocking on the hotel door. Tasha and I are currently in Vancouver, and Adrian had a 'meeting' with his father, so he was staying near us. "Who is it?" He asks from the other side of the door.

"Open and you'll see." I say in my most seductive voice. He opens the door slowly and stares at me. "Are you alone?" I ask, just to make sure. He nods and I walk in. As he closes the door, I turn to look at him. I slowly open my coat, revealing my little outfit. He eyes me, from my heeled toe, to my barely covered breasts, then he looks at my face. Without a word, he takes me in his arms and before I know it, we're on the bed.

For a moment, I freeze, but I quickly get over it. I shouldn't be nervous. I'm doing this so my kid doesn't grow up thinking it doesn't have a father. So my kid doesn't constantly suffer, thinking his parents hooked up once and never spoke again. I'm planning on keeping Adrian in my life, as a friend, so that my kid will always think that it was made out of love. And it was, just not with the person who was currently holding me in his arms, as if he would never let go of me. As if this was a dream come true for him.

When I woke up, I quietly and quickly got out of bed and put my 'clothes' back on, before finally turning to look at Adrian, who was sleeping soundly. He's so sweet. Too bad he doesn't know I just used me and it would never happen again.

As I walked back to the hotel Tasha and I were at, I allowed a tiny amount of guilt overcome my mind. I shouldn't be feeling bad. I did nothing wrong, just made sure my unborn kid had a father. Or at least a father figure.

As soon as I walk into my room, I walk into my shower, and just stand under the running water for thirty minutes, without doing a single thing.

**3 months later**

I gasp, shooting up in bed, making a pain shoot up from my abdomen up to my chest. I drop back onto my bed, and look at my surroundings. I'm in a hospital. Why am I in a hospital? Suddenly, I feel the pain in my abdomen again, and look down. I lift up the silly hospital gown and stare at the white bandage, memory from the night before flooding into my mind.

Tasha and I were walking back to the hotel, and we were in Washington this time. Not D.C., the other one. Out of nowhere, a couple of Strigoi had jumped us. I had taken the first one out easily enough, but the second one was a tad bit smarter. He had a knife in his hand. After some feigning, I finally got my stake into him, but at the same time, he had pushed his knife into my abdomen.

After that, it gets blurry. I remember pain. Red and blue lights. Being poked and prodded. Finally arriving at the hospital. After that, it's completely blank.

Then it hits me. If I was stabbed… That means… That means that the baby is… No. No. "Rose, you've got visitors." My head snaps up, eyes still wide. I know Tasha had spoken, and that beside her was Lissa and Eddie, but my eyes only saw Dimitri. Before I can stop myself, tears start rolling down my face, then, suddenly, the doctor walks in.

"Ms. Hathaway, all your test came out positive, but there is one thing. You see, since you were stabbed, you're-"

I cut him off before he can say more in front of these people. "I know. I figured. Thanks. I'd like to rest now." The doctor guessed the reason I was so abrupt and nodded. After a "I'll come back to check on you later" he walked out. I looked at Tasha, my look telling her "Get these people out of here" and she quickly complied. Lissa and Dimitri began to protest (Eddie sensed I didn't want to talk at the moments, so simply slipped around Tasha, gave me a quick peck on the forehead then walked out.) but quickly complied with Tasha when they saw me lay back down and throw the blanket over my head. I know Lissa wanted to speak with me, but I was in no mood. I mean, why would I be? I had just lost my baby, and they only people that knew were the doctor, Tasha, and myself. I had just lost _Dimitri's_ baby, and the only two that knew that was Tasha and me.

Once I was left alone, I let my emotions take over, and cried myself to sleep.

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**Well, hope y'all enjoyed. I just wanted to throw that in there because I keep referencing back to this moment, but y'all didn't know, so there it is. And I'm sure you've also figured out what picture I'm NOT posting on my profile. :P And once again, thanks for all the comments. And I hope me explaining on top cleared some things up. Remember, if your confused by something, just go ahead and ask. I'll answer. **

**Thanks!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Here's the 7****th**** chapter. By the way, everything is in Rose's point of view! Well, at least so far. The next chapter is on its way!**

**Enjoy!**

**Simply,**

** Sam.**

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**Back to now (Which is the Masquerade Party)**

I sat up, fully awake. I hadn't meant to fall asleep, but I had. I looked at the clock. I'd been asleep for almost two hours! Hopefully the party's almost over.

As I walk out of the room, I notice how everyone is turning their attention over to the podium. I walk closer to it, until I'm standing right beside Tasha.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for playing the game." Lissa begins, radiantly smiling. No one figured it out, I see. "It is now the end of the party, and no one has figured out who this friend is. Looks like we get to have the wedding where we want." She says, directing this at Christian, who simply smiles gratefully. I notice Lissa's, Christian's, Eddie's, and Dimitri's masks are all of, wondering why. "Now, I would like to call to the stage, the friend I haven't seen in a while. Of course, I understand if you don't want to, so you have one minute. If, after one minute, you still aren't up here, I'll assume you don't want people to know who you are. Now, one minute starting… Now." Dimitri and Eddie both look at their watches, counting one minute.

After ten seconds, I decide to go up there; I start to slowly make my way over, as Tasha gives my hand an encouraging squeeze. Just before the minute is up, I walk up to Lissa. Her smile becomes brighter, directed completely at me.

"This, ladies and gentlemen, is my very, very good friend, that I haven't seen in a while." I turn and look at the people. "Guardian Rose Hathaway!" Just as she says my name, I rip my mask off and give everyone a smile. I hear a couple people gasp, and the entire room erupts into conversation, everyone completely surprised to see me.

Lissa gives a laugh and gives me a big hug. Eddie walks over and hugs me as well, before moving aside so Christian can hug me. I'm surprised, but quickly hug him back. "We need to talk." He whispers to me before letting go. I stare at him for a second, and then turn to Lissa, who has been chattering away, and I have no idea what she has said.

"I'm sorry, what?" I ask bewildered. I think I just heard something about maid-of-honor.

"I want you to be my maid-of-honor!" Lissa answers. Apparently I was right. "I really want you to, Rose. Please! And I'm not demanding it or anything!" She assures me quickly. "I'm asking for you to please. It'll be a favor." She looks at me hopefully.

I can't say no. I mean, I know we went through a lot, and we never actually apologized. I just kicked her out of my hospital room because I didn't want her to know about the baby. Wow. Lissa and I used to be so close, she would've been the first to know about it. Now, all she knows is I was at a hospital one night, and I kicked her out. I sigh to myself. "No." I say. I see her face falling. "No, I won't do you any favors." At that, her face falls completely. "Because, I'm your best friend and it should just be assumed that I'd be your maid-of-honor. I don't even know why you asked." Lissa's face lights up and she jumps up and down.

"Thank you thank you thank you so much Rose! I love you!" She throws her arms around me and hugs me tight. "And I've missed you." She whispers to me. Tears threaten to stream out of my eyes, but I hold them in. I was _not_ messing up my makeup.

"I've missed you too." I whisper back before we let go. And I have. I've missed her so much it hurts.

"Rosemarie Hathaway." I turn and see Adrian walking towards me. "I should've known it was you we were looking for." He winks at me. "You know," He turns to Lissa, "I found her multiple times, but I could never be sure. She was much too good at acting."  
Lissa laughs. "Yes, Dimitri and Eddie told me that we found her once as well, but I sincerely doubted them until Rose walked up here and I saw her dress. Then I remembered we met her over near the punch." Christian laughs at that, and so do I. It's just too funny watching Lissa try to lie. They all knew perfectly well it was me.

As people wind down, they walk up to me and congratulate me on not being found, then congratulate Lissa and Christian and being able to have their wedding wherever they like.

"Well, I should go. Tasha's waiting for me." I say, turning to Lissa. I smile. "I'll see you around." Lissa nods and gives me a hug.

Christian pulls me in for a hug again, and I say, "Wow, buddy. Your fiancés here, lets not tip her off, huh?" They all laugh. Next I hug Eddie. "See ya." I say to him. Last, I turn to Dimitri and hold out my hand. "Good bye, Guardian Belikov."

"Good bye, Guardian Hathaway." He says back to me, just as formally.

With a last final wave to them all, I walk out to the car, where Tasha is sound asleep.

**One Week Later**

It's been a week since the masquerade, and not much has happened since. Basically, Tasha's been going to meetings, and since I'm her guardian, I _have_ to go to them. They're pretty boring, so Tasha lets me sneak in my iPod, and I just stand there, listening to my music, while all the other guardians have to listen to the Moroi rambling on about politics.

"So, what we gonna do today?" I ask as I follow Tasha towards the courtyard.

"I am going to a meeting, you are off." She answers, not looking back.

"What? No. I have to be with you. It's not like there's another guardian I can switch shifts with."

Tasha laughs. "Well, there are plenty of guardians at the meeting, and we're at court, so calm down. You're supposed to spend the day with Lissa, anyway. "

"What? Really?" Suddenly, I'm considering actually taking today off.

Tasha realizes this and says with a smile, "Yep. Christian called last night and said that Lissa really missed you and was wondering if you could spend the day with her. So of course I said yes. So, you want to spend the day with her?"

"Totally!" I say with a big smile on my face. Once Tasha tells me where we're meeting, I head off towards the restaurant.

As I walk in the doors, I look around, but don't spot Lissa anywhere. At first I think I have the wrong place, but then I see Christian so I walk over to him.

"Hey." I tell him. Before I can say anything else he motions to the chair across from him and says "Sit down, Rose."

"Where's Lissa? She on her way?" I ask him as I sit down, looking towards the door.

"No. You'll be seeing her tomorrow."  
"What? Tasha said she wanted to talk to me."  
"She does, but at the party I told you we needed to talk, just you and I. Look, Rose, don't interrupt. Just hear me out, alright?"

"Okay."

"That night you were in the hospital, in Washington, there was this Moroi doctor, looking at some patients that were in a car accident and were taken to the human hospital. Rose, he over heard you and Tasha talking. He knows that you were pregnant. And that the father was a Dhampir."

I look at Christian, eyes wide. There's no way that's true. There's absolutely no way that's true. "Who was the doctor?"

Christian gives a sigh. "He's part of the Ivoshkov family, Rose. And he's absolutely pissed that you used his cousin that way."

Cousin? What cousin? Then it hits me. Adrian is an Ivoshkov.

"Rose," Christian continues, "He contacted me so I could tell you that… That your secret is about to be told our entire world. Rose, you're going to be poked and prodded. They'll want to examine you. They'll ask questions about who the father was and how far along you were. Rose?" Christian looks at me doubtfully. "Who was the father? Anyone I know?"

Christian never found out about Dimitri and me, and I'm amazed Lissa never told him. I gulp, "Yeah, he's your girlfriends guardian."

"Eddie?"

"No." I say, shaking my head, looking up to meet his eyes as realization hits him before I even say the name. "Dimitri."

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**Okay, I know it's short, I'm sorry. I'm going to make the next chapter my longest yet, I promise! And if I don't, I'll…. Tell you all how it all ends so you don't even have to actually read the story anymore. (And I'm being serious, so comment 'cause comments encourage me to write more!) Hope you enjoyed it!**

**Thanks!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Alright, here's the 8****th**** chapter. Wow, I can't believe there are 8 chapters. I think it's because my chapters are so short. What do you think? You agree with me? Eh? Eh? Sorry, I'm just so tired! Okay. Here it is. **

**By the way, thanks to CaRiNeSs for noticing that Dimitri and Rose match. I totally did it on purpose! **

**Also, Dimka **_**actually**_** speaks more than 10 words in this chapter! Yay!**

**Enjoy!**

**Simply,**

** Sam.**

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"Dimitri!" Christian sputters, just as Lissa and her guardians walk through the door.

"Christian? Rose? What are you two doing here? Are you talking about Dimitri?" Lissa makes her way over to us, Eddie and Dimitri trailing behind her. Christian stands up, giving Lissa a hug.

"Well, no, actually…" I see Christian try to come up with a plausible excuse, but get stuck. Apparently the boy's never lied to Lissa. Well, I have.

"We were actually planning a surprise party for you, but, you know what, you just ruined it. No more party for you." I say, only half serious.

"Really? Well, I just had a party anyway, so it's okay." Lissa retorts jokingly.

"No, like a party for only your closest friends and not the entire Moroi world." I say.

"Really? Well, let's take out the surprise part and keep the party." I laugh at her. God, how I've missed this. Twenty minutes later, we've got a party all planned for this weekend. Before I leave, Christian mouths, 'later' to me and I nod. I turn my head, and see that Dimitri has noticed the entire exchange and has a guarded look on his face. I worry for a second, but then decide he wouldn't tell Lissa about it. As trusting as she is, she'd get too suspicious.

It's Saturday, and the party is today. Liss and Christian are coming (of course) and so are Eddie and Dimitri (as guests. Before I could say anything Lissa insisted on inviting Dimitri when I said we should invite Eddie.) Mia, Adrian, and a bunch of other guardians and Moroi that we graduated with. I'm in my room, getting ready, and waiting for the guests to start arriving. The party is being held in the apartment Tasha and I are in, since we're the ones hosting it.

I'm wearing tights jeans, a black shirt, and these gorgeous blue heels. I look hot, if I do say so myself. The bell rings, so I go to open it. Thirty minutes later, everyone is here, and the party is hopping. The music's on full blast and everyone's dancing and drinking and just having fun. I myself and dancing with some Moroi, who I _think_ might be part of the Ivoshkov family, but I'm not too sure. I haven't bothered asking his name.

Actually, I don't think what we're doing counts as dancing. We're really close and just… I guess we're grinding on each other. There, I said it, so now it's officially true. His hands are all over me, but I've already told him that he's not getting any from me tonight, and he totally understands, so I don't see the point in telling him to keep his hands to himself. I've danced with 3 other Moroi, telling them all the same thing, and still their hands are all over me. I guess all half drunk Moroi men like to do something with their hands, huh? The song ends, so the Moroi man and I smile at each other before walking away. I walk over to the table where the punch is.

I look up just in time to see someone walking up the stairs. I put my punch down and go up. As I reach the landing, my door is closing. _Damn! First thing I told them was to stay out of the bedrooms!_, I think to myself. I throw my door open, ready to yell before I notice who the person is. Dimitri. I close the door. He's looking at my pictures. I know he knows I'm in here, because I saw his eyes quickly look over here.

He picks up a photo of Tasha and I, dressed up as 'firemen' for Halloween two years ago. "That's my favorite one." I say. He puts the picture down and turns to look at me. I can feel my heart beat speeding up and mentally yell at myself. I shouldn't be having this reaction to him. I shouldn't. I got over him years ago. I did, I really did. But as we continue to stare at each other, I realize that I haven't gotten over him, not at all. After all these years, I was still totally, madly, deeply in love with him. As I'm about to convince myself that I should go over and kiss him, four words float across my mind and stop me.

_Love fades. Mine has._ He said that to me 5 years ago, but all the pain rolls in freshly, as if he's just said them to me. The feelings I get from those words will never become dull, and suddenly, I'm absolutely livid. How _dare_ he? How dare he walk into my room and look around as if he owns it? How dare he look at me the way he's looking at me right now, as if he's seeing me for the first time? How _freaking_ dare he?

"What are you doing in here?" I snap.

His expression doesn't change as he says, "You haven't changed at all, Rose."

"Really? And why is that?"

"You still lose your temper at the smallest of things. All I'm doing is looking at your pictures, no vandalism."

"I'd have preferred vandalism to your snooping."

"Really?" I can tell he's testing me, seeing how much self-control I really have. "Yeah." I nod my head. He picks up a purple flower vase, complete with the water and flowers, holds it up high, and lets it go. It lands with a loud crash that reverberates throughout the small, fairly quiet space.

"You asshole! We got that in Venice! It was very expensive!" I yell at him.

"You're still the exact same. Losing your temper so easily."

"Yeah, well you're still the same old pompous, pretentious jack-ass!" I yell. I can see him start to lose his grip on his temper, so I continue yelling at him. "I mean, what do you think this will get you? Huh? If you think all I'm going to do is yell and you keep this up, you'll be limping out of here with a black eye."

"Rose, why are you so mad?"

"Oh, I'm not mad. Oh, no, I'm fucking livid! How dare you just walk into _my_ space and act like you own it! Dimitri, do you know how long it took me to stop feeling pure anger whenever I looked at Tasha? Two years! It took me two _fucking_ years! Now, I'm not going to be able to walk into this damn room thanks to you!"

"Wait, why would you feel anger when you look at Tasha in the first place? You requested to be her guardian, she didn't steal you away from the Princess."

"Oh, that's not why. The reason why is because every time I used to look at her, I would see you! I would remember everything about us, and I hated that!"

"Really? Do you think it was easier for me? I was with Lissa and Eddie and Christian! I was with your _best friend_ for _5_ fucking years! There were pictures of you _everywhere_ and little things that completely spelled out _ROSE_! I slept and dreamt you! Can't you just see how it was just as bad for me, if not worse?" His anger made is accent more distinct, which just made him so much hotter.

I so badly wanted to just give in, and not fight, but I couldn't give up, since I was the one to start it. "You know, Dimitri, right now I'm trying to see things from your point of view, but I can't seem to get my head that far up my ass." I say as calmly as I can. From there we just continued arguing, throwing very rude (actually, they were pretty good) insults at each other every chance we got. Which was what made up half the argument.

Near the end, he got me really wound up and I yelled out, "Why don't you go outside and play 'Hide & Go Fuck Yourself'?" Then, I pulled the door open and stormed out.

**Dimitri's POV**

"Why don't you go outside and play 'Hide & Go Fuck Yourself'?" Then she pulled the door open, and stormed out.

Shit, I really fucked this up. I sigh, sitting down on the bed. I was supposed to apologize to her tonight, letting her know how much I've missed her, but instead I ended up in an argument with her. I have royally screwed this up. I don't think she'll let this go, not after what I said about her and her mom… Okay, I admit, I was being a bit juvenile but… All right, extremely juvenile and childish and churlish. God, I was so hypocritical just then. I've always given her speeches about controlling ones anger, and here we were just having an argument, yelling at each other.

After sitting there for well over ten minutes, I decide it might be time for me to leave. I get up, and open the door, walk out, and close it softly behind me. As I'm walking down the hallway, towards the stairs, I notice one of the doors is slightly open, and the light is spilling out. Thinking someone might have left the light on, I walk towards it. Then, when I'm near it, I hear voices coming from inside. I get closer, until I can hear what they're saying.

"Oh yes. The Dhampir girl was pregnant, three months along. She lost the baby rather suddenly. She was stabbed when she was protecting her Moroi and she lost the baby. Apparently for months afterward, she was almost like a robot, just doing everything automatically, never showing any emotion. After a while, she started acting like her normal self, but she never truly got over it, or so I heard."

"Really?" Another voice said. "Where did you learn this?"

"A doctor who was at the hospital read her report, and heard her and her Moroi speaking."

"So she just used the Ivoshkov boy?"

"Yes, and the doctor was upset, because he's part of the Ivoshkov family."

"Oh my! Well, this is very interesting." Both voices sounded like males, but before I could look into the room to see who they were, but then I heard a voice coming up the stairs call out my name. I look back at the door quickly, and then I walk to the stairs, running into Eddie.

"Hey, I'm heading out now, so are Lissa and Christian. You gonna come?" I nod. There's no way I'm going to walk all the way back to our apartment. As I'm following Eddie, I hear a couple voices behind me. Before I step into the crowd, I hear one of the men say, "Yes. The Dhampir was Rosemarie Hathaway."

Rose, pregnant? When? And by what Moroi? Probably not the Ivoshkov boy, since they said she was using him. But wait, why do I even believe them. I should ask Rose. I turn into the crowd, and spot Rose. She sees me and gives me the most horrible looks I've ever seen. If looks could kill…

Fuck, so, okay. There's no chance Rose would answer me before killing me if I ask her up front. Shit. I'll just have to find out through someone else.

**Two Weeks Later (Still in Dimitri's POV)**

I've asked around as much as I could in the last couple weeks about Rose, but I haven't found anything. As I'm walking through the courtyard, I see this two girls whispering to each other. I go and sit under the tree that's near them and close my eyes, listening to their conversation.

"Yeah, I've heard about that too! Apparently she used an Ivoshkov!"

"Do you know which one?"

"No, but I also heard that she didn't lose the baby. She had it and she sent it off to an academy in Russia, and she's constantly visiting it, every chance she gets."

"Oh my God! I can't even believe it! To think, the infamous Guardian Hathaway, a mother! Oh, and I've heard another rumor!"

"What?"

"That the father isn't even a Moroi!"

"What? But if the father isn't a Moroi, then she wouldn't even have been pregnant in the first place!"

"I know! Apparently, the father is a Dhampir!"

"What! Not even! That's impossible!"

"Yeah, it's also impossible for there to be _Spirit _users, but Princess Vasilisa has got that down!"

The other girl nods, "Yeah, that's true. Wow. I wonder who the Dhampir male was."

The other girl shrugs, "Who knows. Oh, hey, have you seen that new Morgan Freeman movie?" The girls walk away, talking about something else.

My eyes pop open. Shit. I've got to talk to Tasha. Now.

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**Well, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter; I know I had fun writing it! And it is my longest chapter, so y'all have got to read if you want to know the end. : P This is where the fun begins, where everything starts, where the summary actually comes into play. **

**Thanks!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Thanks for all the comments! You guys are so nice! Also, I think Tasha is nice and it always upsets me when people make her out to be a female dog, so that's why I decided to make her nice in this, because I genuinely like her. Also, sorry that I didn't post yesterday. I had a game, and didn't get home till late, and that's why today I'm posting up two chapters today. Yay! It's my way of apologizing for not posting anything yesterday. All righty then, here it is. By the way, still in Dimka's POV.**

**Enjoy!**

**Simply,**

** Sam.**

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I bang on the door, praying that Tasha will open it, and not Rose. The door is thrown open and I let out the breath I was holding, in relief. It's Tasha. Before I can say anything, she sees the look on my face and says two words, "You know."

"So it's true? How much of it?"

"Come in, Dimka. We have a lot of talking to do." She holds the door open and I step inside. "Please, sit down." "Right, well, where should I begin?" She says to herself after we've both taken a seat. "Oh, I know. Okay, I think from the beginning will work just fine. Okay, so we were in Washington, and we were walking back to our hotel. We had gone out to eat, to celebrate… Oh, I'm not sure what it was. It was something idiotic, because we just wanted a reason to go out to eat, so we made something up. Anyway, it was dark, and I had told her we should take a cab, but she insisted that we walk, since it was only three blocks away. Plus, she had wanted to walk through the park. So, we were near the hotel, I could see it just down the street when Rose told me to duck. Of course, I automatically fell to the ground and when I looked up, Rose was fighting with two Strigoi. Within five minutes, she took one of them out, but the other seemed to be smarter, he even had a knife. They kept acting like they were about to lunge towards each other, but never did. Finally, Rose saw an opening and went to him, and she stuck the stake in him.

"I thought she'd got him, so I got up, then I noticed Rose was looking down at her stomach. She turned, and I saw there was a knife, protruding from her. There was blood all around it, all over her hands, because she had grabbed at her stomach. She looked up at me and then she collapsed onto the ground. I called an ambulance from the human world. I didn't know what else to do. She was taken to the hospital and they fixed her up as best as they could. Dimka, she was pregnant, as I'm sure you've already heard. Well, she… she lost the baby, Dimka. She was so devastated. She wasn't herself for months."

"Who was the father?" I ask, finally, after a few moments of silence have gone by.

"Oh, well, I'm sure you've also found about the Ivoshkov boy."

"He was not the father." It was supposed to be a question, but came out as more of a command.

"No, he wasn't." She says with a shake of her head.

"Then who was the father?"

She sighs. She knows I've heard, and I know who the father was. I just need her to confirm it. "The father was," She says, "You. You were the father of her baby, Dimka."

"But, how…"

"Since she is Shadow Kissed, it allows her to conceive with anyone. So, she was able to conceive with you. Do you know when it was?"

"Was this five years ago, when we went to see her in the hospital?" I ask, just to make sure. She nods. "Then yes, I know when it was. After the Assignment Ceremony."

"Yes. That was the day."

"So, the child died?" I can't help it. To think, I was almost a father.

Tasha hesitates for a couple of seconds before confirming it. Usually, I would've noticed her hesitation, but I didn't think it was of any import then. Before I can say another word, the door closes and in walks Rose.

She sees me first, then looks over to Tasha, a bewildered expression on her face. "What's he doing here?" She asks tightly.

"He's heard the rumors, and he just wanted some confirmation, so I told him everything."

A look of unadulterated rage springs up in Rose's eyes as she says, "Everything?"

Tasha nods calmly. "Yes, everything."

"Even about…" Rose let's the question trail, knowing that Tasha will figure it out for herself.

"Yes, I even told him about how the child was killed when you were three months pregnant.

Rose's anger seems to dissipate, then she slowly nods, mumbles something meaningless, then goes to her room, closing the door softly. Well, I guess she's still upset about it.

I sigh and stand, "I better be going, I'm rather busy today. Thank you, Tasha, for telling me what Rose wouldn't"

"It's not that she wouldn't, Dimka." Tasha says. "It's that she couldn't. She hasn't even told Lissa, and she's her best friend. Dimka, please, look, I can tell you would like to speak to her about it, but please give her some time first. Once she's cooled down, I'm sure she would love talking to you."

"Right." I say, not believing a single word she just said. I know Rose too well to delude myself into thinking she will actually speak with me. With a final goodbye to Tasha, I walk out the door, the entire time thinking of Rose, and the family we could've had.

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**Okay, short, I know, but how did you like it? Tell me, please!**

**Thanks!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Well, hope you enjoyed the last one. Once again, thanks for the comments. Here's the… tenth chapter. Again, sorry, I would've posted earlier, but I had school. (Yes, I know it's summer. I'm taking an extra course to get ahead, I didn't fail. Although, my Spanish teacher could've given me that one point, and I'd have left the year with A's and B's.)**

**Anyways, here it is.**

**Enjoy!**

**Simply,**

** Sam.**

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**Rose's POV**

I close the door and walk into the living room. The first thing I see is Dimitri, sitting on the sofa, as if he has every right to be here. I look over to Tasha and ask, "What's he doing here?"

"He's heard the rumors, and he just wanted some confirmations, so I told him everything."

I am absolutely livid. That is _my_ information to tell to people if I want, not hers. I don't care if she does technically control me, I will not stand for her telling my stuff to people. "Everything?"

Tasha nods, as if it's perfectly normal, as if it doesn't matter! "Yes, everything." I see a look in her eyes, as if she's trying to tell me to calm down, but I ignore it.

"Even about…" I trail off. I know she'll know what I'm asking, and I'm assuming she's told him, but I want to hear it from her mouth.

She understands. "Yes, I even told him about how the child was killed when you were three months pregnant."

My muscles relax as I hear this. Suddenly, I'm not as angry as I was a moment ago. I nod slowly, calmly, mumble some nonsensical nonsense, then I walk upstairs to my room. I open my door and softly close it, but I don't step inside. I walk carefully to the stairs, and sit, out of sight, but so that I can still hear them speaking.

"I better be going, I'm rather busy today. Thank you, Tasha, for telling me what Rose wouldn't." I hear Dimitri say. I fume silently. I didn't tell him because it doesn't concern him.

"It's not that she wouldn't, Dimka," I hear Tasha say. "It's that she couldn't. She hasn't even told Lissa, and she's her best friend. Dimka, please, look, I can tell you would like to speak to her about it, but please, giver her some time first. Once she's cooled down, I'm sure she would love talking to you."

"Right." I can hear the skepticism in Dimitri's voice. I hear him say goodbye, then I hear the door open and close. I get up and walk to my room, making almost no noise. Once my door is closed, I fall onto my bed, face in my pillow. I have a knot in the pit of my stomach, as if I feel guilty about something. Is it about Dimitri? No, why would I feel guilty about that? I mean, he knows the truth already. Maybe I feel guilty because _I_ didn't tell him. Yeah, that's got to be why. Or, it might not even concern Dimitri! It might be because I haven't even told Lissa yet! Oh, Lissa. Slowly, I open up the bond, letting some feelings seep into me. As soon as I feel the thoughts and the feelings, though, I shut the bond as quickly as I can.

Lissa is _pissed_ at me, because I haven't told her yet. She thinks I kept things away from her on purpose, and that I don't trust her anymore. She was also thinking about Adrian. Man, I'd forgotten about him. So, apparently, tomorrow I had to deal with a way pissed off best friend _and_ a more than likely pissed off (If not drunk) ex boyfriend who I used and almost forced to call someone else's child their own. I had a busy day tomorrow.

I walked into the café, knowing that Lissa would be there with Adrian and Christian (and of course Eddie and Dimitri. That goes without saying.) Would be there waiting for me because of the bond. I go to the table and sit, waiting to be bombarded with questions. After a couple of minutes, I look up into their faces. Lissa has a look of pity (apparently her earlier anger has dissolved), Christian (for once) doesn't have his sarcastic smirk or an arrogant air about him, and Adrian… well, Adrian looks sober and that in itself is rather strange on any day, but today in particular.

"What?" It comes out sharper than I had intended it to, and internally cringe when I see the look of hurt in Lissa's eyes. "What is it?" I say in a much softer tone.

Lissa sighs. "Rose, how come you never told us? I don't mean to make you feel guilty or anything, but don't you trust us?"

I look into Lissa's eyes and say, "Of course I trust you, Liss. I trust you so much, it's actually rather ridiculous. Liss, I wanted to tell you, but… It wasn't really a good time. Actually, it still isn't a really good time, but I'm being kind of forced here, since everyone knows."

Lissa looks over at Christian, then at me. "See, that's what we needed to talk about. Why, after all these years, has that doctor barely talked about this?"

"I don't know. I honestly don't know." I say, shaking my head. Then, I look up at Adrian, and see a look in his eyes, as if he knows something the rest of us don't.

He leans forward, elbows on the table and says, "Maybe it's because he's been doing research." We all stare at him, not following along, at all. Then he looks right at me when he says, "He told me he's been doing some follow up research. And he said he's found something very interesting about Rose." I quickly glance up at Dimitri and meet his eyes, then look back at Adrian as he continues. "He says you've been making frequent trips to Russia. Would you like to tell us why, Little Dhampir?"

I snort. "Sounds more like he's been stalking me."

Adrian simply smiles. "Yes it does, doesn't it? Well, I guess I'll just tell him you've never once been to Russia in the last five years."

I sigh. "I have been to Russia. I've visited the Belikovs, along with Tasha, of course." Whiles saying his family name, I sneak a glance at Dimitri, and see him start in confusion. "See, Vicktoria had a baby, so we've frequently gone to visit her and the baby."

"Vicktoria?" Christian asks Dimitri beats me to the punch, saying, while staring at me, "My youngest sister. How did you know she had a child?"

"Well, we've kept in touch since the first time I met them. They're really nice, your family." Silently I add, _I know where you get it from._

Dimitri gives me a small smile. "Yes, I know."

After that, our conversation turns to happier subjects, as Lissa can see I don't want to talk about it. After a couple of hours, Lissa gets up and says she has to go. "I'll see you later, Rose. Promise you'll call, at least." I promise, and after one last hug, she goes, Christian going with her, and Eddie on their heels. I turn and see Adrian. We hug and he whispers, "I wouldn't have blamed you, Little Dhampir. I don't blame you, not in the least, and I don't hold even the slightest of grudges. I would've taken care of that kid as if it were my own." Then he let's go and walks out the door. I turn and jump in shock as I see Dimitri still standing there.

"Why are you still here?" I ask him

"It's my night off, according to Vasilisa and Christian. They actually just told me before we got here, so since I didn't have anything else to do, I decided I might as well help out Eddie with this one shift." He shrugs his shoulder nonchalantly, as if he takes up extra shifts all the time and it's no big deal. (Which, knowing Dimitri, he probably does.)

I nod. "Well, since you have nothing else to do, maybe you should sit down." His eyes widen in shock, as if he didn't expect me to be so calm. _Hey_, I think, _I am not that unreasonable!_ "Well, I heard Tasha tell you that I'd come around. I didn't want you to think that she's a liar, so I decided to speak with you, calmly, like the adults we are."

He sits and quickly asks, "Why didn't you ever tell me?"

I take a deep breath. "Because, once I got to the hospital, well, there seemed to be no point. I mean, it wouldn't have made a difference, would it?" I look up, trying not to show my desperation that he'll say that I'm wrong, that it wouldn't have mattered either way, he still loved me, but instead he just asked another question. "Why did you do that to Adrian?"

"Well, that was when I had first found out I was pregnant. I guess I just wanted my baby to have a father. I didn't want my child to think that some Moroi knocked up its mother and then ran. I knew that if Adrian thought the child was his, he'd take care of it, no matter what." Apparently, he would've taken care of it even if he knew it wasn't his.

Dimitri nods. "Makes sense." Then he looks up and looks me straight in the eye. "Have you ever wondered, since then, what it would be like if you did have the child?" Suddenly, I'm bombarded with images of a child. I see him walking, running, playing in the snow. I see him laughing and on a swing, begging to be pushed higher. I see a child running around with a little basket, hunting for eggs; the looks of surprise on his face as he opens his Christmas presents; clapping in joy as a clown hands him a balloon animals.

"Yes, I wonder all the time." I say, as a tear silently rolls down my cheek.

"Roza." Dimitri says as he reaches over and wipes away the tear. We look into each others eyes, and suddenly it's like I'm 17 again, and he's my mentor. It's like nothing has changed, and I still want nothing more than to be with him, and him alone. Slowly, my eyes wonder down to his lips, and I have a moment of wondering what it would be like to kiss him, to wonder if it would be any different, before his mouth presses against mine. His lips are warm and soft, and it's no different than it ever was. It's still perfect and wonderful, and still makes my heart beat faster and it still makes it harder for me to breath.

We kiss for what seems like hours, but I know was only seconds, before he pulls away. I lean forward, wanting those wonderful lips back on mine, but Dimitri stops me. "Roza, we're in a public place." Slowly, I come back to my senses and realize he's right. We're in a public place, we can't do anything here! I stand, grabbing his hand, pulling him along. Once we're out the door, Dimitri spins me around and asks, "Rose, where are we going?" I give him a look, and instantly realization comes to his face, and he doesn't resist as I pull him along, walking towards my place.

Once we reach the apartment, we're all over each other, bumping into tables and walls, like they do in the movies. (Thank God Tasha went out tonight, otherwise this would be awkward if she just walked in on us. It takes us about ten seconds flat to reach my bed. That's pretty amazing, let me tell you, because even when I take the steps two at a time, I can't ever reach my room that fast.

"Rose. Rose. Wait." Dimitri lifts himself off me, and looks at me, seriously. "Are you sure about this? I mean, you're not going to wake up in the morning and start yelling at me, are you?"

At that, he actually looks worried, and it's so cute, I almost laugh, but instead give him a small smile, put my arms around his neck, and say, "I have never been more sure in my life." He searches my face for a couple seconds, before deciding I'm completely serious, and then we're back to the kissing. Let me tell you, that was some kissing. It was so, so, so perfect. I wanted to stay in that moment forever. But I decided waking up in his arms would be better than nothing.

When I woke up the next day, I didn't want to open my eyes. Dimitri and I were facing each other, so if I opened my eyes, he'd be the first thing I would see. I thought that if I were to see him, I'd regret everything that happened, but when I did finally open my eyes, I didn't feel a single drop of regret. He was still asleep, breathing calm and deep, and, in that moment, he was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. I smiled, and stared at him for a few more seconds, before slowly getting out of the bed.

I took a shower, and when I came out, Dimitri was sitting up, rubbing his eyes. I climbed into the bed, and pecked his cheek. "Hi."

"Well, you seem pretty awake. Why is that?" He asks, a little blearily.

"Well, no particular reason." I smile at him. I'm about to hop off the bed to get dressed when he grabs my arm.

"Rose, are we okay? I mean, last night wasn't just one of those things where we just sleep together, but we don't talk to each other, was it?"

"You mean a one night stand? I hope not, because I do like having you in my life."

His face breaks out into one of those full, rare smiles that I always hoped I would get because I thought they were amazing. I was right, they are so amazing, they take my breath away. "Good, because I like having you in my life too."

Twenty minutes later, I walk into the kitchen and I don't see Tasha until she clears her throat. She has a mischievous smile on her face when she says, "Well, doesn't someone look refreshed this morning." Before I can ask how she knows, she points to a pair of shoes that are near the kitchen entryway. "Well, those aren't mine, and I figured they weren't yours either. Plus, Lissa called and asked if I'd seen Dimitri, because he hadn't gotten home at all last night, and just put two and two together."

I laugh just as Dimitri walked into the kitchen. "What's so funny?" He walks past me and goes to hug Tasha. "Good morning."

"Well, hello. Have fun last night?"

"Shut up, Tasha!" I yell at her, all the while laughing. This is good. It looks like I didn't make a mistake. Dimitri and I are absolutely meant to be together.

**2 (Blissfully perfect) Months Later**

**Dimka's POV**

It's been two months since Rose and I got back together. _Two months._ And we don't even have to hide our relationship this time. It's wonderful. It's perfect. The last two months we've been making up for the last five years, and we've told each other everything. We have no secrets. It's perfect.

We're at a café, with Tasha, Lissa, Christian, and Eddie when Rose's phone rings. "Whoops. Sorry, just excuse me for a minute." She walks outside and takes the phone call. When she gets back, she has a worried expression on her face.

"Rose?" I ask, getting up. "What's wrong?"

She looks at me, then she turns to Tasha and says, "We have to go. Now."

Tasha's eyes go wide. "Is it…?" Rose simply nods, and Tasha gets up right away. I grab Rose's arm before she can move and say.

"Tell me. Now."

"I can't. I'm sorry, but I just can't. Not right now, maybe later."

"Fine then, I'm going with you."

Before Rose can argue, Tasha says, "Rose, maybe we should let him. I mean, he is involved, is he not?"

Rose breaths deeply and says, "Fine, but only because I'm in a hurry and have not time to argue."

"In that case," Lissa says, standing up as well, "We all go."

"Fine, but hurry." We all chase after Rose, since she takes off running.

We arrive at the place where they have the planes **(Authors note: Um… I might have forgotten what it's called. Hehe.) **and skid to a stop. It's only then when it occurs to me to ask where we're going.

"So where are we off to?"

Rose throws a look to me, then says, "Russia."

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**Hope you enjoyed! Comment/Review! Tell me if you thought it was pure crap. A couple more chapters should be up by tomorrow. I promise **

**Thanks!**


	11. Chapter 11

"**Chapter" 11**

**Author's Note**

**Really important.**

**Don't worry DBCrystal, I would never bail right in the middle of a story. I hate when people do that. Now, I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter. I, personally, loved writing it. I loved writing the reunion. And, I know the reunion might have been just a little… quick, but I like quick reunions (sometimes) mainly because I'm not that great at reunions (and I'm not even being modest here.) My reunions are usually really cheesy, and I personally am not that into cheesy. So anyways, let me just tell you guys something, this is almost over. (I know I know, you guys are hopping for joy right now.) Now, I can make it either one long big chapter, or at least 2, **_**maybe**_** 3,fairly short chapters. You guys take your pick. Tell me what you would prefer, because, until y'all do, I ain't posting. Sorry, I know I'm holding the story hostage, but the story doesn't mind. I promise. I'm feeding it and everything. Okay, y'all tell me!**


	12. Chapter 12

**I know, I know. I got y'all all excited for nothing with the last "chapter". I didn't do it on purpose; I just forgot to change the name to Author's Note. So, anyways, I'm glad you guys like it. Now, it seems that, so far, there are about 14 for the long chapter, and 4 for the short chapters. So, obviously, the one long chapter wins by a landslide. Oh! And thanks to ****snowgoose,**** who told me what it's called where the planes are housed (Hangers!) and where they take off and land (Tarmac!) You're so smart, snowgoose!**

**Also, thanks to ****Dimkalove4eva****, who is my 100****th**** reviewer (I think. My reviews said 100 and ****Dimkalove4eva**** was at the top, so that's what I'm assuming.) I really appreciate the love you guys are showing for this!**

**Now, here it is, the 12****th**** (technically the 11****th****) and final, chapter.**

**Enjoy!**

**Simply,**

** Sam.**

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**Dimka's POV**

I've been awake for hours, and as tired as I am, I can't sleep because of all the adrenaline coursing through me. We just arrived at a hotel, and Tasha is checking us in. We're a couple hours drive away from my hometown. I wonder why we're here.

We've been arguing with Rose the entire ride over here, but right now, nobody is speaking.

Tasha walks in. "Let's go." Rose stands up, about to follow Tasha, but then she spins around and stares at me.

"No." She says, a tone of desperation in her voice. "Please, I know you want to know what's going on, but please, just stay here, and when I get back, I'll tell you. Just please. Don't argue." As much as I want to argue, and as much as I want to force her to let me go, I nod because the look in her eyes scares me. It isn't her usual I'm-going-to-kick-your-ass-if-you-don't-listen-to-me look. It's a new one, one that says I-am-absolutely-terrified-of-what-you'll-think-when-you-find-out-what's-going-on. And that's why it scares me, because it's just not her. "Thank you." She whispers, then turns and walks out.

"That also means the rest of you. Don't follow us." Tasha says before going after Rose.

After two hours of just sitting in the room, doing nothing, I stand. "What are you doing?" Lissa asks.

"I'm going to Baia." **(Is that the name of the town Dimitri grew up in? I forget.)**

"But Tasha said not to follow them." She argues.

"Princess, I'm not following them. I'm going after them. There's a difference, because I am not keeping them in eyesight, now am I?"

"No, I guess your not…"

"Well, are you going to come with me, or are you going to stay here and give Rose time to come up with a total lie?" I guess Lissa realizes that Rose would do that, because within 5 minutes, we are all (Christian Lissa, and Eddie) piled in a taxi, on our way to my mothers' house.

**Rose's POV**

It's funny how certain words can make a multitude of emotions course through your body, if said frantically enough. We were in the café, enjoying ourselves when I got a call. All I heard was, "Come quickly, something's happened" before I said, "I'll be right there" and quickly hung up the phone, running into the café, looking for Tasha. As soon as Dimitri saw the look on my face, I knew he would want to know what was going on, and that's also why I let them all come here with me without putting up a fight. At that moment, I didn't care who knew, as long as I made it to Russia as quickly as possible. The entire flight I was looking out the window, just waiting until I saw the tarmac and until I could get off the plane. I didn't care who knew what while we were driving to the hotel, but once we got at the hotel, sanity hit me. I couldn't let _Dimitri_ come to his house with me, he'd see. That's when I decided I cared who knew and who didn't. So as soon as Tasha walks in and says let's go, I turn on Dimitri and beg him not to fight me on this.

"No. Please, I know you want to know what's going on, but please, just stay here, and when I get back, I'll tell you. Just please. Don't argue. I search Dimitri's face, silently begging more than I've ever begged in my entire life. I know I seem desperate, but desperation will get him to agree to this, so I just keep looking at him. I don't want him to come because I need time to come up with a lie to tell them when I get back, but also because I'm am completely terrified. And I know that my being completely terrified scares Dimitri, and I know that that's why he nods, agreeing to my pleas. "Thank you." I whisper, before turning and walking out the door. I hear Tasha telling them not to follow us, and as soon as we are on the road, I say, "Go as fast as you possibly can in this car." I don't have to tell her twice. I know Dimitri will still come after us, so I want as much time there before he arrives. I want to get everybody ready. I want to get myself ready

The hour it took driving up here was pure torture, and as soon as we arrived at the house, I jumped out, not even waiting for Tasha to stop the car. I slam through the front door and run up the stairs. When I throw open the bedroom door, I stop, staring at the scene before me. Olena **(Is that Dimitri's mom's name? I forget.) **is standing beside the bed, hand on her hip, pointing her finger in a reprimanding way. Vicktoria is standing at the foot of the bed, arms across her chest, a look of disgust on her face. They both have You-deal-with-this looks on their faces as they turn to look at me, and, as I see the little lump on the bed, smiling up at me, I let out a sigh of relief.

"What's going on?" Tasha asks, as she comes into the room. "Oh." Is all she says as soon as she sees Maksim, sitting up in bed, smiling as if he'd just gotten the best Christmas present in the whole world. "Hey, buddy." Tasha says, laughter in her voice.

"Hi, Aunt Tasha." Maksim looks at me, Vicktoria, Olena, then back at Tasha. "I think Aunt Vicky and Babushka are mad at me, what do you think Aunt Tasha?"

"I totally agree with you. And I think your momma is mad with you too."

Maksim turns to look at me. "Are you, mama?"

I sigh. "Maks, how many times have we told you to stop scaring us that way? I've told you before, if you want to see me, all you have to do is call me, and I'll be here when I can."

"But Aunt Vicky said that you were with Papa, and I wanted to see him."

I look at Maks' innocent face, and in him, I see his father. The stubborn look he has on at the moment is all mine, but his strong will is all Dimitri's. "Yeah, and you didn't think that I'd bring him with me if you simply called, did you?" He shakes his head. "Well, he should be here in a couple of hours, Maks. Get up and get dressed, and you can meet your father."

Maks jumps out of bed and runs to take a shower. "Are you sure about this, Rose?" Vicktoria asks, a concerned look on her face.

I give her a small smile. "It's been five years, and Dimitri thinks his child is dead. I think it's about time I told him the truth." Olena hugs me, squeezes my hand, and then goes down to the kitchen. Vicktoria gives me one last scrutinizing look before presumably deciding that I know what I'm doing, then she goes downstairs to see how Danya, her son, is doing.

"You are sure about this, Rose?" Tasha asks me.

I stare at the face of the woman who has stuck by me for the past five years, who has been by my side every time I needed someone to talk. I stare at the face of the woman who has kept my biggest secret, including the one about my baby boy, for five long years. She knows everything about me, and that's why I know I can't lie to her because if I do, she'll see right through it. "No, I'm not sure about this at all." I whisper, before walking out of the room and going to help Maksim.

Three hours later, I hear a car pulling into the driveway, and before walking out, I take a deep breath, telling myself to calm down, that there is no way Dimitri would reject his own son. Of course, after lying to him, there's a very big chance Dimitri might reject me, but I don't think about that, because if I let myself dwell on those thoughts, I'll break down before even explaining anything to Dimitri.

As I walk out, I wonder if Maksim is looking out the window, then realize that he's my son, so of course he'll be looking out the window. "Tasha, do me a favor and take Lissa, Christian, and Eddie inside while I talk to Dimitri."

"Do you want me to introduce them to Maks?" She asks.

"Yes, please." As soon as they get out, Tasha herds Lissa and the boys inside, while I stay outside and speak with Dimitri.

"So who are you hiding out here?" He has his guardian mask on, and that just makes this harder.

"My son. Our…. Our son." I look up at his face after a few moments of silence and become worried when I see he still has his guardian mask on. "I.. I'm sorry I lied to you. I just… I couldn't tell you, I really couldn't. I mean, his life is fine, he's a fun, optimistic little boy, and I didn't want to ruin life for him. I mean, what if I had told you about him, but you didn't care? I couldn't risk you not caring, because then he would know his father doesn't care about him, and he would be ruined." I stop, remembering the day he came up to me and asked me why he didn't have a daddy, like some of his friends. I didn't know what to say, I couldn't lie to him, so I just told him all about Dimitri. I told him how Dimitri was like a god, and that he was the toughest person I'd ever met. I told him how all the kids at St. Vladimir's had completely worshipped him. I told him everything about Dimitri, even about him turning Strigoi, but Maksim didn't care about that. All Maksim cared about was knowing that his dad was a badass. Ever since then, Maksim has been begging to meet his father, the man that every one in the Dhampir, Moroi, and Strigoi world has heard about.

"I was protecting him, "I continue. "At least, I thought I was protecting him, but I guess that I was just protecting myself. I couldn't face you before, and then when we got back together, I had already told you that he had died, and I couldn't tell you otherwise, I couldn't say that I had lied to you."

"So were you planning on keeping him a secret forever?" He finally asks, in a controlled voice.

"No, no, I wasn't going to do that! I just wanted to see if we were going to go anywhere before telling you about him."

"So what if we hadn't lasted? Would you never have told me that I have a son?" His voice has a little more emotion behind it this time, and I can see the anger in his eyes.

"Well, truthfully, yes. I would have never told you about him, but I'm sure you would've figured it out once he became a guardian."

"And why is that?" he asks frostily.

"Because his name is Maksim D. Belikov."

His eyes widen. "He has my name?"

"Yes. Maksim Dimitri Belikov. He's your son, Dimitri, and even if I never told you, I wanted you to know once you heard his name. I wanted you to know that you had a son."

**Dimka's POV**

"Yes. Maksim Dimitri Belikov. He's your son, Dimitri, and even if I never told you, I wanted you to know once you heard his name. I wanted you to know that you had a son." I stare at Rose, completely dumbfounded. I have a son. Not just a son, but a son that Rose named after me. I can't believe it. Rose turns to look behind her and I follow her eyes and see a small boy, maybe three feet tall, walking out the door, towards us. He has the same bone structure as Rose, but the color of his hair and his eyes, those are all mine. He looks excited and a tiny bit shy, but he's holding his head up, as if he doesn't care what anyone thinks of him. Now that's all Rose.

I stare at him in wonder, wondering how in the world _I_ could've made that small little thing. As he walks closer, I kneel down so that we can be at eye level. I always have to look down at people and I've gotten used to it, but with this kid, well, it feels like I'm towering over him. And I've always been carefully with how I treat people, even Rose, but with this kid, I feel like just holding his hand might break him, he's so small.

As he comes up to me, he smiles. "I knew you would care." Is all he says before I take him in my arms and hold on to him as if he's my life support. After about a minute, I let go and hold him at arms length. He looks up at Rose and says, "I _told_ you he would care!" I look up at Rose to see her smiling at us, but when I meet her eyes, her smile falls. She actually thought that I wouldn't care? She wasn't just making that up? I stand quickly, suddenly feeling guilty. I thought she'd just been saying that, but she actually genuinely thought that I wouldn't care, and that I would just turn my back on her and my son.

"Rose, I would _never_ ever turn my back on you or my son."

"'Love fades. Mine has.'" She says sadly.

"What?"

"That's what you told me five years ago, and that's why, when I found out I was pregnant, I didn't tell you, because I was so sure that you wouldn't care."

"Roza, look at me." I lift her chin with my hand and look her straight in the eyes as I say, "I said that because I was afraid. What if no one had trusted me again? People would have associated you with me and you never would have become a guardian, you'd have been stuck behind a desk, doing paperwork. I was scared for _you_, Roza."

Tears well up in her eyes as I take her in my arms, placing my chin on the top of her head, smelling her hair. **(Anyone else find that just a **_**little**_** creepy?) **I feel something tugging at my coat **(Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen, by coat, I do mean the infamous Duster. And whenever I picture Dimitri in a duster, I picture a Russian cowboy. It's a little bit hard to explain, so on with the story!) **and look down to find Maksim staring at us with wide eyes. "So does this mean I get a mama _and_ a papa?"

I look at Rose. "Yeah, does this mean he gets a mama _and_ a papa?"

She laughs at us. "We'll see." I smile at Maksim and he beams back. He lifts his arms silently asking to be carried, so I comply and lift him in my arms. I hold him on my right side and put my left arm around Rose's shoulder. "Let's go inside. I haven't seen my mother in months."

I walk into the house carrying my son and holding tightly onto the woman I love, and as we step through the door, it's like we're beginning a new life.

**Er… let's say…. 1 ½ years later!**

**Rose's POV**

It's funny how the future can be change from moment to moment. One minute, all you're thinking about is protecting your Moroi, and the next, you're constantly worried if your child is sick or if something is wrong with him. It's also funny how one look from the right person can make your heart beat faster, and your breath become shallower. And it's so funny (but not in a Ha-Ha-Grandma-Just-Fell-On-Her-Face kind of funny) how the words I Do can change your life forever.

**Flashback to 2 months after Dimitri found out about Maksim**

**Still Rose's POV**

"Wait, but I thought you were stabbed here." Dimitri says, placing his hand on my bare stomach. It's late at night, when normal people are sound asleep but Dimitri is apparently not normal.

"Uh… yeah, I was. Look at the scar." I point out the scar groggily. I really want to sleep.

"Hmm… but you had Maksim. How?"

"Well, see my water broke and when I was dilated enough, they told me to push, so I did and _Pop!_ He was magically out."

I hear Dimitri sigh and I open my eyes, with a smile on my face. "Well I know _that_, but what I'm asking is: If you were stabbed in your stomach, and that's in the general area where the kids are, how come nothing happened to him?"

"Oh, well, the knife narrowly missed him. He was still so small, but if I had been just another month along, it definitely would have hit him."

"So, he got lucky?"

"Yeah, he got lucky."

**Come back to the 1 ½ years later**

**Still Rose's POV**

Dimitri and Maks hit it off right away, and it was like Dimitri didn't miss those first 5 years, he was automatically 'Papa' to Maks. So, when I told Dimitri about how Maks hadn't died, he treated him as if he were even more of a miracle than he already was.

After 6 months of dating, Dimitri proposed, and it was the sweetest thing ever. We had gotten into an argument the day before about who (if anyone of us) was going to stop being an active guardian and become a worker at court. He had gotten me upset because he said it should be me so that I could take care of Maks. Lissa and I were on one of the building balconies, over looking the courtyard, when I heard someone calling me. I looked down and saw Dimitri looking up at me.

"Rose, I am so sorry! I love you! Please, if you take me back, I'll work here at court." People were openly watching and I thought it was pretty funny.

"You really hurt my feelings! It's not like we're in the 1950's or something, where the woman has to stay home to take care of the kids!" I yelled back.

"I know! And that's why, in front of all these people that will most likely start talking about this faster than you can answer, I ask you this one thing: Will you marry me?"

I stood there, completely shocked. I hadn't expected him to ask me. I mean, I'd kind of assumed it, but I never actually _thought he would actually ask._ "You can't just ask me to marry you every time I get mad at you." I say after composing myself.

"Why not? No one's stopping us, and people get remarried all the time."

"Well, how can I argue with that kind of logic? Yes. I will most definitely, without a single doubt in my mind, marry you." At that, I saw Dimitri give me a huge smile and start running up the stairs. I turn and run down, meeting him half way.

That was one of the most romantic things he's ever done. At the wedding, Lissa was my maid-of-honor, Tasha was the best man, and Maksim was the ring bearer. My father gave me away and I totally saw tears in my mothers' eyes. It was a beautiful night.

Now, almost two years later, I'm married to Dimitri Belikov, and carrying his second child. I'm 5 months along, and Maksim is very excited to be having a baby brother/sister. We don't know the sex yet. When Dimitri found out, he was so ecstatic, so happy that he'd be able to be there for at least one of the births of one of his children. It's been great and my life is wonderful. I couldn't ask for anything else. How glad I am that my secret was spilled out, because if it hadn't been, I'd probably still be pining away for Dimitri, and my son probably still wouldn't have met his father.

* * *

**So, how do you like? I really enjoyed writing this story, and I'm so glad that you guys have supported me. Oh, and the reason Tasha and Rose are closer than Lissa and Rose is because it's been five years. Don't worry, in the last part, the almost two years later, Rose and Lissa have become besties again, but of course Tasha is still in the picture.**

**Oh, I have a little surprise for you guys. If you want, I can post up **_**ONE**_** more chapter about Rose giving birth. No details, just before the birth, a little cursing at Dimitri during, and after the birth. Not too much, just a little extra. You guys tell me if you want it.**

**Once again, thanks for the support, and I loved writing this story, so I hope you guys at least liked it. But if you loved it, you can tell me about it! **

**Simply,**

** Sam.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Okay, this is definitely the last chapter, so no more trying to convince me to keep it going, haha. Once again, I'm glad you all liked it and thanks for all the support!**

**Enjoy!**

**Simply,**

** Sam.**

**

* * *

**

"So how much longer until the baby is due?" Lissa asks. It's Saturday, and we're in Lissa's living room, watching a movie.

"The doctor said another week." I say, reaching for the popcorn.

"Isn't that what he said a week ago?"

"Yeah, he's a lying fat bastard who likes to see me suffer."

"Okay, that's a little harsh. He's not that fat."

I snort. "No, he's not that fat. Ugh, but I am!  
"Rose, you are not fat. Pregnancy is a beautiful thing."

"Yeah, about that. When are you going to get knocked up? How long have you and Christian been married? Almost two years now. Come one, Dimitri and I weren't even married until a year ago and I'm already pegnant with the second kid."

"Well, I would love to be pregnant, but we're enjoying our time together."

"Bullshit. He's not ready for kids."

"Well… No, okay, he's not quite ready, but I'm fine. I mean, I waited for more than 5 years for him to propose, so I can certainly wait for him to be ready for kids."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." I get up. "I'm going to get a soda. Want anything?"

"No, I'm fine." She says, still sitting down. Normally, a best friend would've gotten mad at their pregnant friend and gotten up to get the drink herself. Normally, a husband would not let his pregnant wife stay on her guardian duties, or let her in the gym to practice fighting. Of course, when Lissa and Dimitri tried doing that, I threw a hissy fit so big that they get a frightened look in their eyes every time they offer to do something. So of course, they've learned their lesson. I think this kid is going to be a real bitch, because I wasn't like this when I was pregnant with Maksim. I'm just saying.

I waddle into the kitchen, get my soda, and as I'm waddling back, my eyes widen. "Shit. Lissa!"

"Yeah?"

"Uh… I think my water just broke."

* * *

"Push!"

"You push, bitch!"

"Now, Rose, I don't believe that it is very healthy for you to voice your pain in this way. Most mothers prefer the screaming, and while I appreciate you voicing your pain, maybe you could do it another way?"

"Oh, shut the hell up and do what you're paid for!"

"And what would that be?"

"To shut the hell up, look at my area, and tell me when the kid is out of there!"

The doctor and all the nurse's stare at me, as if I'm the first woman to talk to them in such a way. Which I probably am, now that I think of it. Dr. Vishkov wasn't my doctor when I had Maksim, and that doctor was very understanding of my yelling. He didn't say anything, just took it like a man, but I could see this doctor wasn't very tough.

"Rose-" I interrupt Dimitri.

"Oh, you shut up too! You're the one who did this to me, you fucking bastard!" I yell at Dimitri, who has a look of pure amusement on his face. It's been like this for a few hours now. At first, I was pretty calm, not even making a sound when the contractions came, but as they grew closer and closer and stronger and stronger, I started with the yelling. At first it was just yelling out, "Shit!" "Fuck!" "Damn!" and "Son of a bitch!" to no one in particular. And when it was time to push, I just yelled at the wall, the same words, but as the labor drew on, I'd gotten meaner, especially to Dimitri, who the entire time has looked amused.

"Wipe that look off your face! This isn't funny, you dickhead! Ugh! I hate you!" I snap at Dimitri, and yet he still has the same look on his face.

"Push again, Rose! Harder!"

This time I listen to the doctor without yelling, but I squeeze Dimitri's hand a little harder, causing him to flinch, which makes me feel just a _little_ better, but not much. I've been in labor for a couple hours now, and Dimitri has been in here with me the entire time. Lissa, Christian, Eddie, Adrian, and Mia have been waiting outside along with Tasha, my mom, my dad, Dimitri's mom, Vicktoria, Dimitri's other sisters, and Maksim.

When Maksim heard the baby was coming, he was so excited, that as I think about it now, it's _almost_ worth it, but that alone, not quite. Now, when Dimitri found out the baby was coming, he was as excited as Maksim, if not more, and their two faces put together, now that's worth it. I think Dimitri is so excited, and taking me yelling at him so calmly, because he's actually going to be here for the birth of his second child. It doesn't make up for missing Maksims' birth (his words) but at least he'll be here for the birth of one child, right?

Maksim and Dimitri have really gotten so close, and anyone looking on would never be able to tell that Dimitri wasn't there for the first 5 years of Maksims life.

"Shit! Damn, mother fucker!" I yell out. This hurts more than I remembered, it really does.

"Rose, you're almost there! Just a little more! Keep pushing, Rose! If you don't keep pushing, the baby will stay in there!"

Well I don't want the damn thing stuck in there forever, now do I? So I push as hard as I can, and while that takes a lot of concentration I still manage to yell out, "Shut the fuck up! I don't need your fucking advice! God! I hate you so, so much, Dimitri!"

Dimitri just smiles, and grips my hand tighter. After a few more hard pushes, and a few more insults thrown to anyone who will look/talk to me, the baby is out!

"Congratulations, it's a baby girl."

"No shit, Sherlock. I already knew that." I take the baby in my arms, and as I look at her face, I suck in a breath of shock. She's absolutely gorgeous. "Wow." I whisper. "You little bastard, why'd you take so long? You think being so pretty will make up for the pain you just caused?"

"Roza, at least wait until she can actually understand you before you go and say those things to her." I smile up at Dimitri.

"Here, hold your daughter." I hand him the baby, and he takes her in his arms as if he weren't absolutely careful with her, she would shatter into a million pieces.

"She's perfect." He breathes. And he's right, she is completely perfect. So, so perfect.

* * *

"So, what's her name?" The nurse asks. They're releasing me today, but they said that the baby can't go until she has a name, and Dimitri and I still haven't reached a decision. I look at Dimitri and decide that, after all he's been through, he should at least be able to name his daughter, so I tell the nurse her name.

"MacKayla Nina Belikov."

"Alright." After filling out some forms, we get into the car and drive home, where Lissa and Christian are throwing a welcome home party for us.

"Why?"

I know exactly what that is directed towards so I give him a straight answer. "I figured it was the least I could do, you know, give your daughter the name you want." He looks at me and smiles.

"Thank you." I simply shrug.

When we arrive at the house, everyone swarms us, wanting to look at MacKayla. When Maksim sees her, his eyes go wide in wonder and amazement and he says, "I will always take care of her, I promise." I know he means it, because Maksim isn't one to lie. I also know that he said that because as soon as he saw her, he had love for her, just like with Dimitri and I when we looked at her.

I'm sitting at a table looking around me, at all the people who love me, when I realize, that no matter what happens to Dimitri or me everyone will take care of Maksim and MacKayla. I realize that if something were to happen to us, I wouldn't have to worry, because all of these people here love my children as much as I do. I smile to myself. This is perfect, absolutely perfect.

* * *

**And there it is. I hope you liked it, because I loved writing it. I think my favorite part in this chapter is when Rose yells to the doctor, "You push, bitch!" It cracks me up every time I see it. **

**Now, in case any of you care, I will soon be posting up another story, but not for Vampire Academy. It'll be for the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. **

**Once again, I'm glad you liked it, and I **_**promise**_** that I will be writing another story for VA, I'm just going to do the MI story first.**

**Thanks, again!**

**Simply,**

** Sam.**


	14. IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE

**IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE**

**Hey, people. I just wanted to thank all of you for being so awesome and reading my story! I'd like to give all of you a notification.**

**Fairly soon, I will be posting up a new story, in the VA category. I wanted to let all of you know that it will be a continuation/sequel to this story. I hope that all of you will read it, and I'm looking forward to your comments and reviews on it. I will be posting up the first chapter, and I'd love all of you to tell me if you think I should continue it or not.**

**I hope all of you enjoy it. **

**Thank you.**

**Simply,**

**Sam.**


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